Vinylize makes glasses from platters that matter

Vinyl isn't dead! Or so hipsters and audiophiles the world over will tell you. They're entitled to their opinion but I, like most of the world, now prefer my music stored in digital form. Unfortunately, this means lots of vinyl records are heading for landfill, which isn't good for any of us. So why not upcycle old vinyl records into something that's still useful? Something like glasses.

Vinylize is doing just that, turning old vinyl records into designer spectacles and sunglasses. The process spun off from the simple idea of creating eye-wear from recycled materials. And vinyl records fit the bill, being both a suitable material and available in sufficient quantities.

The company, based in Budapest, Hungary, began making vinyl glasses more than a decade ago, and the methods used have evolved over the years. A vinyl record is bonded with cellulose acetate before the whole thing is cut into one of the many styles of frame Vinylize offers. A handful of styles can be seen in the gallery accompanying this article.

The sunglasses can be bought online from the Vinylize website, all for around the €330 range (US$440), while the company asks you to contact it to enquire where you can buy the spectacle frames. To complete the look, Vinylize also offers cases comprising a single vinyl record folded in half with a zipper attached. These cost €25 (US$33).

The video below shows how a pair of Vinylize glasses are made, with a mixture of machine tooling and hand crafting.